Cassandra White is a cultural/medical anthropologist whose primary research focus over the last two decades has been on the experiences of people affected by Hansen’s Disease (leprosy) in Brazil and the United States. She has conducted research in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and among first generation migrants to the U.S. on this topic. Dr. White has traveled to and conducted research in Brazil since 1992, and she has directed six Georgia State University study abroad programs/ethnographic field schools in Rio de Janeiro. She conducts research in Rio with student collaborators on urban transformations associated with the World Cup (2014) and Olympic Games (2016). She is also currently conducting research on perceptions of “extended” breastfeeding in the United States among women who breastfeed their children longer than what is often perceived as “normal” in this cultural context.
Specializations in medical anthropology, migration and health, anthropology of the body, urban anthropology, breastfeeding, Brazil, Latin America, gender, racial identity, inequality.